Russellville voters said “yes” Tuesday to the extension of the city’s 1-cent sales tax for an additional seven years.

The measure passed with 59.61 percent of voters in favor of the extension and 40.39 percent against. Ballots were cast by 1,528 voters, 859 of those during early voting.

The revenues from the tax will be distributed as follows: Sales tax proceeds derived from the sale of aviation fuel at Russellville Municipal Airport will be used for capital or operating costs of the airport.

Of the remaining citywide collections, 6.25 percent will be used for economic development and capital improvement purposes and 12.5 percent will be set aside for water and sewer improvements.

The remaining 81.25 percent of net collections will be divided as follows: $7 million for construction, operation and maintenance of an aquatic center; $1.3 million for parks and recreation capital projects; $6.5 million for a new central fire station; and the balance will be dedicated for streets and drainage. At least $25 million is expected to be directed to streets and drainage.

Russellville residents and shoppers have paid a 1-cent sales tax since 1993, though the city itself has only received revenues from the tax since 2003. From 1993-2002, a one-cent citywide sales tax was in place, but funds were used for a number of expansion projects and debt retirement for City Corp., the city’s water and sewer utility.

An extension of the tax for use by the city was approved by vote in 2002, with collections beginning in 2003, when the previous tax for City Corp. expired. The tax approved by voters called for seven-eighths of each cent to be dedicated to street and drainage projects and the other one-eighth to economic development efforts.

In 2007, that tax was up for renewal. Again, voters said “yes” to the continuation of the city’s 1-cent sales tax for six more years. Margins for this extension passed with the support of 79 percent of the 1,968 total voters.

The 2007 ordinance called for the money to be split in several different directions.

For two years, the tax was divided with 62 percent to street and drainage, 16 percent for the proposed convention center and hotel, 12 percent for economic development, 6 percent for the city’s Recreation and Parks Department and 4 percent for the renovation of City Hall.

In March 2010, the collections for the convention center, Recreation and Parks and City Hall expired. At that point, the one-cent tax reverted back to the original seven-eighths for street and drainage and one-eighth for economic development.

Turnout for Tuesday’s election was lower than that of the special election conducted last month to determine whether to approve or deny a zoning ordinance that would allow for construction of a Walmart Neighborhood Market. That election saw 2,924 voters, 1,696 of those during early voting.